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HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  January  S,  1864.— Read 
first  and  secon'l  times,  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Military 
Affairs  and  ordered  to  be  printed. 

[By  Mr,  Atkins.] 


A.    J3ILL 

To  be  entitled  An  Act  to  increase  the  eftective   force   of  the   '*  Pro- 
visional Army  of  the  Confederate  States." 

1  SccTio.N  1 .     The    Con,s;res's  of  the  Confederate   States'  of  America 

2  do  enact.  Hereafter  it    .s;ball    not   be    lawful    for    the    President, 

3  Secretary  of  War  or  any  officer  of  the  Government,  to  detail  any 

4  able-bodied  man,  between  the  ages  of   eighteen   and    forty-five 

5  years,  to  any  employment  whatever,  in  the  service  of  any  provost 

6  marshal,    commandant   of  a    post  or  a^  a  guard  upon   any  rail- 

7  road,  except  to  guajd  Federal  and  Confederate  prisoners  or  in  the 

8  collection  of  tythes  and  array  supplies  of  any  kind,  either  in  the 

9  commissary  or  quartermaster  departments,  or  in  hospitals,  or  in 

10  the  nitre  and  mining  bureau,  and  all  details,  heretofore  granted, 

1 1  for  any  such  purpose  is  hereby  revoked :  Provided,  That  this  act 

12  shall  not  be  so  construed  as  to  preclude  the  appointment  of  com- 

13  missioned  officor.s  to  superintend  any  such  service. 


1  Sec.  2., It  shall  be  lawful,  and  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of 

2  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  employ  for  all  such  service,  men  unfit 

3  by  reason  of  corporeal  disability  for  military  duty  in  the  field  ; 

4  and  if  a  sufficient  nuin1)er  of  that  class,  cannot  be  obtained,  he 

5  shall  have  power  to  enroll  and  enlist,  under  laws  already  made, 

6  and  provided,  such  number  of  men  without  families,  over  the  age 

7  of  forty-five  and  under  that  of  sixty  year^,  for  such   length  of 

8  time  as  he  may  think  proper,  not  to  exceed  three  years  or  during 

9  the  war  ;  and  such  men  when  thuj?  enrolled  and  enlisted  and  placed 

10  on  duty,  .shall  be  entitled  to  the  same  pay  and  allowances,  rights 

11  and  privileges  of  soldiers  in  the  field  of  the  infantry  arm. 

1  Skc.  3.   Any  officer   or   other  person,  authoriztd   to  rai.se    a 

2  company,  battalion,  squadron  or  regiment,  shall,  upon   penalty 

3  of  being  reduced  to  the  ranks,  report  to  the  officer  commanding  the 

4  department  within  three  months  from  the  time  his  leave  of  ab- 

5  sence  is  granted  to    go  on  such  duty;  except  that  the  officer  or 

6  person  authorized   to  raise  a  battalion,  squadron  or  regiment, 

7  shall  be  allowed  four  months  time,  to  complete  such  organization. 

8  All  persons  authorized  to  raised  companies,  before  the  1st  day  of 

9  December,  1863,  shall  report  to  the  general  commanding  the 

10  department,  by  the  13th   day   of  Febiuary,  next;  and  any  such 

1 1  officer  or  person  failing  to  show   his  muster   rolls,  and  have  the 

12  men  in  carop,  shall  be  amenable  to  the  penalty  prescribed  in  th« 

13  foregoing  part  of  this  section. 


1  Skc.  i.  All  persons  purporting  to  be  upon   the  staff  of   any 

3  general  or  field  officer,  or  in  their  special  service,  and  who  has 
:i  not  a  commission  setting  forth  their  rank,  shall  immediately  re- 

4  port  to  the  oflicer  commanding  the  department,  and  take  their 

5  places  in  the  ranks  ms  other  soldiers,  the  privilege  being  allowed 

6  them  to  select  their  arm    of  service.     And    all  persons  without 

7  commissions,  engaged  in  enrolling  and  enlisting  eoldies  and  cap- 

8  turiiig  iuid  returning  stragglers  an<l  deserters,  shall  forthwith, 
f)  rej»air  to  the  ainiy  ;    and  heveaftor,  their  places  shall  bo  filled  by 

10  soldiers  disabled  for  field  duty  and  by  men  over  the  age  of  forty- 

11  fixe  and  umler  that  of  sixty  ^  t ars  ;  to  be  enrolled  and  enlisted  under 

12  the  provisions  and  restrictions  of  the  second  section  of  this  act: 

13  Pnwided,    The    chief  of  the    conscription    bureau,    may   find    it 

14  practicable  to  employ,  at  stipilated  prices,  buch  men,  he  may  do 

15  so;  and  may  extend  the  age  of  those  thus  employed  to  any  num- 

16  ber  of  years. 

1  Skc.  5.   iSo  indulgence  or  exemption  from  military  duty,  cx- 

2  cept  by  the  autograph  of  the  chief  of  the  bureau,  shall  hereafter 

3  be  granted ;  and  all  exemptions  heretofore   granted,    except  as 

4  herein  provided,  are  hereby  revoked. 


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